Why is the opening weekend of a movie important? If a movie is a mega-hit on opening weekend, it's destined to be a box office superstar. Read More
What Makes a Film Have a Great Opening Weekend?
Is there a recipe for a great opening weekend for a movie? Is opening weekend as important as we think it is? If a movie has a great opening weekend, is it destined to be a mega-hit?
We answer all your burning questions about what makes a successful movie have a great opening weekend, and more. Read on.
What does “opening weekend” mean in film?
What does “opening weekend” really mean and is it a direct indicator for the most successful movies? As the name suggests, opening weekend is the term used for the first weekend that a film shown on screen at the cinema. In other words, the first weekend that the film is open to the public. Opening weekend is mainly used as a phrase in film but can be used for other artistic productions like theatre, music and dance too.
What is the recipe for a great opening weekend?
What did the most successful films do on their opening weekends to make them great? We look at what makes a successful film, well, successful, on opening weekend;
Marketing Hype
Creating excitement and anticipation about a film beforehand can help drive audiences to the box office on opening weekend.
Of course, movies made by large film companies have access to much larger marketing budgets, allowing them to make a lot more media fuss before opening weekend. But even indie films can use social media platforms and other marketing avenues to drive word out about their film and gather a following before the cinema doors open.
Budget vs Gross
One of the major factors in determining whether a movie has had a great opening weekend or not, is how much money it made. Taking into account how much the movie cost to make versus how much it grossed at the box office in the first three days.
The trend is that most movies make one third of their profits during opening weekend, so the school of thought is that if the film has a whopping opening weekend, chances are it’s going to gross a large amount over its lifespan at the box office.
Successful low budget movies can do really well if their opening weekend has been good. In financial terms it comes down to spend versus income, and if the budget is small but the gross earnings are large on opening weekend, it means success.
International Appeal
Making money at the box office on opening weekend can lead to more hits in terms of international sales. Generally, worldwide trends in box office hits take their lead from the US market. If a film does really well in that market, it tends to be a heavier hitter in other international markets around the world then too. A good opening weekend can also drum up more interest on streaming channels and in TV sales too.
Not always the ‘be-all-end-all’ indicator
Even though opening weekend is important, it’s not always the only predictor for success. For example, James Cameron’s Avatar didn’t shatter records on its opening weekend in the US, but went on to become one of the highest grossing films ever.
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FAQs
How much smaller is week two compared with week one?
Opening weekend, or the first three days after a movie is released to audiences at the cinema, is considered the most important week of a movie’s earning potential. Week two tends to bring in less revenue than in week one, but this is not always the case and is dependent on each film.
What’s a good opening weekend for a movie?
A good opening weekend for a movie is when it makes money. Revenue and earnings of a film in its opening weekend, is a good indicator for how much money it will make overall.
What does opening weekend for movies mean?
It means the first three days (Friday to Sunday) that a movie is released to the public at the cinema.
